She said voters in future Texas elections will have to show a photo ID. But, she acknowledged, the most common form of photo ID — a valid Texas driver's license — may list individuals, especially women, differently from the voter registration rolls.

“The state law is specific that the names (on the photo ID and the voter registration rolls) have to be an exact match,” Decker said. But for women, the driver's license may show a maiden name or former name as well as first and last names.

She urged commissioner to let voters know they need to check their voter registration cards — the current version is yellow — and check the name as it appears in the yellow field. Yellow voter cards will be valid through the remainder of this year, then switch to orange, Decker said.

Voters have until Oct. 7 to make a name change at the Elections Department at 221 Fawn Valley Drive. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rules pertaining to photo ID for voters changed following a June 25 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shelby Co. v Holder.

The ruling effectively ended all litigation pertaining to the Texas photo ID law that the Texas Legislature passed in 2011. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott then issued an opinion that the new law would be effective immediately.

“There are actually a few Texas counties that already have gone through a voter ID election,” Decker said. One is Montgomery County, near Houston, that had an Aug. 31 election on the schedule, she said.

“We're hearing there were minimal issues,” Decker said. “Voters showed up without the required ID, but they all chose to leave (the polling location) and go home to get it.”

Decker said the Texas Secretary of State is advising counties to proceed with the photo ID requirement even though media reports indicate the U.S. Department of Justice may seek another injunction to prevent the law from taking effect.

Decker said if a voter's name on the photo identification matches exactly the name on the voter registration rolls, the voter will be able to vote a regular ballot with no hassles.

For those whose names do not match exactly, rules are in place regarding “substantially similar names” and the voters who fall into this category will also be able to vote a regular ballot, but they must first sign an affidavit stating they are one and the same person.

The upcoming Nov. 5 election asks voters to decide nine propositions, including one that creates a fund for state water planning projects.